Bees & Cheese at Groundswell

Bees & Cheese
Talk, Tour & Tasting
Sunday April 3, 2016 2-5pm

Join BeeRepair at Groundswell for an afternoon farm experience. You’ll get a tour of the layered animal systems which include alpacas, llamas, goats, chickens and rabbits, followed by a talk on honeybees and native pollinators, and finishing with a meet and greet and tasting with farm fresh snacks including cultured butter, cheese, jam, honey and mead. $10-25 sliding scale, no one turned away for lack of funds. Purchase tickets in advance at iuhoakland.com or at the door. Friends from out of town can stay for dinner and sleep overnight at Groundswell on a donation basis, RSVP for overnight stays appreciated.

BeeRepair, a project of natural Beekeeper K.Ruby Blume, promotes the health and well being of honey bees and native bees through education, consultation and hands-on services. Learn more at BeeRepair.com.

K.Ruby Blume is a beekeeper, educator, gardener author and artist working 100% treatment free in alternative hive systems since 1997. Ms Blume is founder and director of The Institute of Urban Homesteading and co-author of the book Urban Homesteading: Heirloom Skills for Sustainable Living Ms Blume lives, loves & farms on 1/10th of an acre in Oakland CA.

BeeRepair is an organization that is very much aligned to Groundswell’s core values. More opportunities to get involved in BeeRepair lie ahead:

In this course you will learn to keep bees in a way that promotes their health and natural exuberance. We’ll peek inside the amazing world of this highly evolved organism, learn how they do what they do and what we can do to support them. You will learn about life cycles and biology, management strategies and equipment needed to get started as a backyard beekeeper using alternative hive systems which allow bees to build naturally and how to keep bees healthy without pharmaceuticals, sugar water or chemicals. Lecture and hands-on, we’ll work with bees and see how package bees are installed. Cost: $75-125 sliding scale.

Bee Repair Natural Beekeeping Mentorships

Get the support you need to get started as a beekeeper in your first or second year, including an initial consultation on equipment and bee procurement, formal instruction, hands-on practice, phone and email support, discussion group, reading and emergency house calls. We offer either a 10 month or a 16 month mentorship for the ridiculously low price of $50-75 per month. The 16 month option is recommended as it takes you through your first swarm season (second spring) You must provide your own box , bees and equipment. For more information visit iuhoakland.com or email ruby@sparkybeegirl.com